Time to look at gun control again?

I’m no fan of guns, but I have no problem with those who use guns for self protection in the home, or for hunting. But now that one year has passed since Gabrielle Giffords, a Congresswoman doing her job, her aide, a judge, innocent bystanders, and a precious child born on Sept. 11. 2011, were shot on the streets of Tucson, with too many deaths, there has been a deafening silence about gun control in Congress. How quickly we forget.

The second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” When that was written, the weapons of choice were the flintlock rifle, musket, and pistol. Once in awhile the saber. A very short history of gun legislation includes the following: 1871 — NRA formed, 1934, National Firearms Act, to limit machine guns, 1938, Federal Firearms Act, to limit shipping and selling of machine guns, 1968, Gun Control Act, to limit mail order sales, 1994, Brady Hand Gun Assault Weapons Ban, (this took effect in 1998), 1999, legislation about trigger locks and backround checks.

Recent Supreme Court decisions about the 2nd Amendment were District of Columbia v Heller, 2008, a 5-4 decision wherin they court upheld the individual model, rather than the militia model. The 2010 ruling in McDonald v Chicago said that the 2nd amendment applies to states. (Due Process Clause — 14th Amendment)

A list of those killed by guns in this country would be too long and too terrible to list. But in one year 484 Americans are killed by guns. Other countries fare much better. Finland, 17, Australia, 35, England and Wales, 39, Spain, 60, Germany, 194, Canada, 200. China has strict limits on gun control. As do most other developed countries.

Only in this country does the Wild West fantasy continue.

The Brady Center works for sensible federal and state laws, regulations, and policies to limit the number of deaths from guns. This group helped with the law that a buyer must wait five days and have a backround check to purchase a gun. The other problem is the large ammo clip, which allows a deranged person to kill many in a very short time. Why is this problem being ignored by Congress? One answer — the NRA, and money. No one wants to stand up to the TV commercials the NRA will run against them if they propose sensible controls and legislation.

Some state laws are so bad they want to allow guns in day care centers, churches, and bars. This is insanity. As Einstein said, the definition of insanity is to continue doing the same thing and expect a different result.

What could we do, if we had the courage? Enforce the laws already on the books, get state to state co-ordination, foster a strict system for checks, prohibit large ammo clips. These are not used to hunt animals, only people. No backround check — no gun. No large ammo clips — period.

This could be the new pro-life movement. Protect the lives of those who are already born. Could we do it? Yes. Will we? Probably not.

Until then, let’s offer a prayer for Christina Greene, that child whose life was cut short. Maybe if she had lived, she would have grown up to be the first woman president. One with enough courage to change the world.